Skip to main content

tv   ABC World News Now  ABC  September 24, 2010 1:05am-3:00am PST

2:05 am
i can likwith the car. that's going on with the car. here's the gas level. i can check on the oil. i can unlock it from anywhere. i've received a signal there was a crash. some guy just cut me off. i'll get an ambulance to you right away. looks like our check engine light's on. can you do a diagnostic check for us? everything's fine. oh, but you've got a loose gas cap. safely connecting you in ways you never thought possible. onstar. live on. cheerios could be your ticket to do it. big time. you could win a once in a lifetime chance to live your passion by choosing from t never-dreamed-possible prizes. from a customized v.i.p. vacion,
2:06 am
to a hollywood red carpet experience, to cooking with a celebrity chef, and more. find details on specially marked boxes of cheerios. why cheerios? because whatever you love doing, you'll need a healthy heart to do it. ♪ everyday i eat your soups, i save a lot of money. that's great. so, your rich and hearty soups have made me, rich and hearty. that's funny. i'm hearty because of your juicy steak, your potatoes... you're really, rich and happy. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. so, you can eat them right here... or eat green giant beans at home... ...frozen within 8 hours to lock in nutrients. up to you. [ green ant ] ho ho ho ♪ green giant.
2:07 am
oprah: 9 years ago, lauren fight to get better. >> no. i'm fine.
2:08 am
that may have been taken from years of trying, lauren and her husband greg's dream has come magical baby. i've learned to i've realized is that it's
2:09 am
it means to be a survivor, so participating in that.
2:10 am
so you can find one that fits r your needs and budget.
2:11 am
with all medicare supplement plans, there are virtually p no claim forms to fill out. plus you can keep that accepts medicare. p your own doctor and hospital and best of all, these plans are... when they told me these plans were endorsed by aarp... i had only one thing to say... sign me up. and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan. you'll get this free information kit... as with all medicare supplement plans, you can keep your own doctor and hospital that accepts # medicare, call this toll-free number now. earlier this week, the country was moved by the plea of a small-town police chief looking for justice in the
2:12 am
murder of his daughter, valerie hamilton. >> a suspect was arrested in western new york in the case but in the days since her murder there are still many questions. yunji de nies reports. >> this is not a murder. there's no murder at all. she overdosed in her sleep. >> she didn't sound like she was on anything. she didn't sound like she was drunk. >> we woke up and she was dead. >> what do you think happened that night? >> you know, i don't know. we may never know. we may never know what happened. >> reporter: what concord police chief merl hamilton does know, his daughter valerie was found dead in this storage locker after a late night with michael neil harvey, a registered sex offender with a lengthy criminal record, including rape, breaking and entering, and drug possession. >> do you think that he killed your daughter? >> i don't know. i don't know enough about it to say that. i think if he wasn't with my
2:13 am
daughter that night, she would be alive. >> reporter: but now hamilton finds himself having to answer questions about the lifestyle his daughter led. >> it's very, very unfortunate to me that people will see one segment of a case and then almost immediately start laying some semblance of blame on the victim. >> reporter: valerie hamilton went missing a week ago wednesday. she was seen leaving a local bar with michael harvey. when she didn't show up to her job as a swim instructor, friends and co-workers began to worry. valerie did make at least one phone call after leaving the bar at around 3:00 a.m. to her friend ashley barton. >> she's like, what are you doing? i'm like, i'm laying in bed sleeping. she's like, oh, well, can you come out to the hot tub with me and my friend? >> reporter: late saturday night -- >> i'm very sad to report to you tonight we have recovered the body of ms. valerie hamilton. >> reporter: police gave few details, saying only her body was wrapped in material and the
2:14 am
cause of death was not immediately obvious. the next morning the police chief thrust his daughter's case into the national spotlight with a plea. >> i want to ask my law enforcement brothers and sisters across the country to help me with this. they took my daughter. >> reporter: just hours later, fbi and u.s. marshals arrested harvey. allegedly high on heroin. hundreds of miles away in his hometown of niagara falls. >> we fortunately got a tip and that tip was successful. >> reporter: the next day, as family and friends gathered for her funeral, the suspect spoke out. >> this is not a murder. there's no murder at all. >> reporter: police released preliminary evidence that may back harvey's claim. investigators say hamilton willingly left that bar with him. they found no signs of physical trauma on her body. they did find evidence of drug usage. witnesses told them valerie appeared to need immediate medical attention. but that harvey did not help her get it. they believe he made great
2:15 am
efforts to clean up any potential crime scenes before he disposed of her body. the medical examiner is still processing valerie's toxicology report and sexual examination kit. it's not clear what she may have taken, but police say drugs were involved. >> do you feel that as a father now you're having to defend your daughter and her death? >> i know who my daughter was. and her friends knew who she was. my wife knows who she was. my daughter knows who she was. more particularly, my god knows who she was. and i'm not -- i'm not going to defend her. there's nothing to defend. >> reporter: michael harvey's extradition to charlotte has been delayed because he's said to be going through drug withdrawal. it is not clear what charges he will ultimately face. in a few days, the chief will be back on the beat with a renewed sense of purpose. remembering the daughter he called val, now gone forever. >> she was so loving and so open.
2:16 am
she embraced everybody. ultimately, that, you know, might have led to where she is now. >> reporter: i'm yunji de nies in charlotte. >> and the friend who received that call at 3:00 a.m. saying come join me in the hot tub, she said she didn't know if it's a real invitation or the call you make to say, i'm with this guy, get me out of here, get me away from this. i feel bad for her, too. it's a bizarre story. >> i'm sure she's plagued by a lot of self-doubt. yunji points out they're waiting toxicology results as well as results from the sex examination kit. a lot of questions for her family to be sure. when we come back, "the skinny" including a new legal situation for a big reality tv star.
2:17 am
2:18 am
jennifer lopez has been open about saying when she as judge on "american idol," she's going to be tough. she's not going to be like paula who's nice to everyone.
2:19 am
she is going to be the tough one. her ex-husband might really be the proof. awhile back we reported her ex-husband of one year ojani noa wanted to be a contestant on the show. not only that he wanted to sing one of her songs. >> awkward. >> according to radaronline jennifer got fox to make sure the screeners on the auditions would not let him anywhere near the auditions. the source said fox made it clear that he was not welcome, he could be arrested if he showed up. he apparently backed out at the last minute. they say it's a shame because he wanted to showcase his voice and show people that he can really sing too. the interesting back story to all of this to me is that there's an age limit. you have to be between 15 and 28 and this guy is 36 now. there's a lot of talk, also her diva demands. so the question is, is any of this true? the show is going to great lengths saying, she's not really a diva. all these rumors about her wanting only yellow m&ms is not
2:20 am
really the case. she says, i just felt bad for dragging fox's name through the mud in terms of me being this diva. they say the contract negotiations were very easy and there were no problems. you never know whose side -- >> you never know. >> they just tell you everything and then you decide. >> exactly. they got publicity from it so i'm sure no one's complaining. we'll see how j. lo does in the judge's chair. this story cracks me up. i know this guy's in "the skinny" a lot here. "the situation" from "jersey shore." apparently, i didn't know this, he has an app on itunes that you can buy for five bucks a piece. it's called grenade dodger. when they say grenade, it's a reference to a girl they don't find too attractive. so anyway, there's a video game as part of this application where he's called grenade dodger. grenades fall from the sky, unattractive women, and he has to dodge them. apparently, they actually went out to a club and took pictures of him with these women. they ended up being grenades on
2:21 am
the application. one of the girls who was a 3 or 4 of his scale of 10 sees this application, sees her picture show up, now is considering whether to take local action. now she's like being essentially labeled an ugly girl on "the situation's" iphone app. >> wow. >> they ended up -- pictures being taken but they didn't know it was going to be used that way. >> it would be interesting though if they consented to the photos. they consented to having a photo taken. obviously they didn't know the purpose. >> i don't know how it plays out in court. that's tough. >> he's making money hand over fist these days. >> jersey, baby. >> here's a story that's never gotten a lot of attention. the whole lebron james, his father. a man has stepped forward, less lester brice. and this happened a while ago, basically said i'm the father. his story is that he met lebron's mother in a bar in 1984. she was 15 or 16. he was 29. months later he got a phone call
2:22 am
that basically said, i'm pregnant and i'm going to name the baby lebron. he never heard from this woman, never paid a cen now he is saying he not only wants another dna test, he wants gift money. hó
2:23 am
2:24 am
2:25 am
here are some stories to watch today on abc news. president obama's diplomacy meetings at the u.n. continue today as he discusses a referendum in sudan and relations with leaders from southeast asia. there is late word three astronauts at the international space station will have to wait longer to return to earth. their russian space capsule ran into problems undocking from the station. actress lindsay lohan faces a los angeles judge today. she is expected to find out if she will go back to jail for failing a drug test while on probation. and finally this half hour, the car of tomorrow, today. that's after a competition to develop super-efficient cars. >> the winner is a car that runs on very little gasoline. as john hendren reports, the
2:26 am
mileage is so high it is more efficient than hybrids or electric cars. >> reporter: meet the very light car. it's made in virginia, runs anywhere, and tops 100 miles a gallon. >> with a total efficiency of 102.5 mpg. >> reporter: the futuristic four-seater won progressive insurance company's automotive x-prize, a year-long race to design an ultra-efficient car that's safe, affordable and desirable. >> you don't have to choose between beautiful, fast, affordable, safe, and 100 miles per gallon or greater. you can get them all. >> reporter: this car is not alone. hybrids and electric cars like the chevy volt are pushing the boundaries of fuel efficiency. uncle sam already insists cars average 35 miles a gallon by 2015. environmental groups, citing this car, are already urged the obama administration to make that 60 miles a gallon by 2025. >> it's time we feel the market
2:27 am
actually wants these vehicles, with the government mandating it, the car companies are going to be producing it. >> reporter: seeking electric cars for the future edison 2. in the end the light car beat out hybrids with gasoline. >> it is the car of the future, there's no doubt in my mind. >> reporter: the designers all experienced race crews crafted an ultra light car styledpy the air itself. >> it cut through the air in the most astonishing way. there's no wind noise because we're not making the air angry. angry air is drag. happy air is good fuel economy. >> reporter: but is it safe? maybe safer than yours. the engineers at edison took their lessons from indy 500 car. this car is built to crash. >> the structure that holds the wheel is crushable structure for crash resistance. >> you just might see a car like this in a driveway near you before long. the company says it's already talking to five potential manufacturers. the company's goal? find a carmaker who can turn out 1 million of these for relatively cheap $20,000 each.
2:28 am
john hendren, abc news,
2:29 am
2:30 am
accusing america. how the president of iran angered so many leaders at the united nations. then, historic execution. the woman who lost a long battle over the death penalty. and, facebook's founder addresses an upcoming movie. his generosity and his success. >> there's an enormous sense of pride. >> it's friday, september 24th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> it is hard how cynical some folks can be. zuckerberg gave 100 million bucks to new york schools, but is that to soften his image because his movie's coming out
2:31 am
and doesn't make him look too great. >> given he's the biggest gainer on the "forbes 400" list. nevertheless he gave a lot which a lot of people wouldn't do. >> you can't argue that. good morning, everybody, i'm rob nelson. >> i'm vinita nair. iran's president is provoking more than the usual amount of controversy this morning after his remarks at the united nations. >> americans were so infuriated they simply walked out. >> reporter: in a speech to the united nations, president obama underlined he wants to end the conflict with iran through peaceful means. >> the united states and the international community seek a resolution to our differences with iran and the door remains open to diplomacy should iran choose to walk through it. >> reporter: but just a few hours later the iranian president seemed to slam that door shut. president ahmadinejad questioned the facts about the 9/11 attacks, referring to a cover-up. he said most people believe that some segments within the u.s.
2:32 am
government orchestrated the attack to reverse the declining american economy and to save the zionist regime, israel. it was at this precise moment that the u.s. delegation and others walked out. the u.s. mission to the u.n. issued a statement saying, rather than representing the aspirations and goodwill of the iranian people, mr. ahmadinejad has yet again chosen to spout vile conspiracy theorys and anti-semitic slurs that are as abhorrent and delusional as they are predictable. ahmadinejad also referred to the ugly and inhumane act of burning the holy koran, presumably a reference to the florida pastor who had planned a burn the koran day earlier this month. ahmadinejad held up a koran and a bible, saying he pays respect to both of them. >> don't let the blustering confidence fool you. ahmadinejad is in a lot of trouble back home domestically. it's just an attempt by ahmadinejad to change the subject, change the focus from him and his stewardship of iran to issues he's much more confident talking about. >> reporter: administration
2:33 am
officials insisted the u.s. and other countries continue to pressure iran to come clean about its nuclear program and end its suspected nuclear weapons program. friday morning, president obama will give an interview to bbc persia which airs in iran. it is anticipated he will take on ahmadinejad's comments head-on. jake tapper, abc news, with the president in new york city. in seattle, four members of a family are dead after a shooting rampage. police should confirm the identities later today but at this point it appears a woman in her 50s shot her own daughter, son-in-law, and their two teenage daughters and then took her own life. an injured daughter who's still in the hospital at this point told police, "my mom's gone crazy." dallas police fired two officers accused in the videotaped beating of a suspect. the camera in a squad car recorded the scene after police stopped a motorcyclist involved in a chase. two officers already face criminal charges but police
2:34 am
chief fired both officers for insubordination. a high-profile execution has been carried out in virginia. teresa lewis was put to death for arranging the murder of her husband and stepson. as brad wheelis reports, supporters had argued until the very end that lewis was simply not smart enough to carry out the crime. >> reporter: thursday night, teresa lewis became the first woman executed in virginia in almost 100 years. >> death was pronounced at 9:13 p.m. >> reporter: lewis was sentenced to death in 2003 for hiring two killers, who shot her husband and her stepson. according to the prosecutors, the two were lured into lewis' scheme by sex and money. the money in the form of her promise to split her son and husband's life insurance settlement with them. $250,000. lewis later confessed to the plot. >> i wish i could take it back. and i'm sorry for all the people that i've hurt. >> reporter: according to a witness of the execution, these were her last words.
2:35 am
>> and she said, i want kathy to know that i love you and i'm very sorry. >> reporter: the two men she conspired with to commit the killings were sentenced to life imprisonment, one of whom killed himself in prison in 2006. lewis' case drew a lot of attention in part because she was not the trigger person and because her iq is between 70 and 72. on the borderline of the legal definition of mental retardation. anyone with less than a 70 iq cannot be executed. best-selling author john grisham has called her execution unjust. even iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad weighed in on lewis, accusing the western media of having a double standard in reporting lewis' execution. for lewis' daughter kathy, the final verdict seems just. >> she could have walked away from our father and never looked back. and i think people need to remember her victims and not her. >> reporter: since capital punishment was reinstated in 1977, only 11 of the 1224 people executed have been women. brad wheelis, abc news.
2:36 am
senate democrats are putting off a decision on tax cuts. they will not schedule a vote until after the november elections. those bush-era tax cuts are set to expire at the end of the year. both parties are at odds whether the cuts should be extended to benefit wealthier americans or just the middle class. the democrats fared better with legislation to help small businesses. the house approved $30 billion in loans for small businesses. there's another $12 billion in tax breaks. the senate approved the bill and it is headed to the president's desk. more political news now. the head of the republican national committee says he is tired of all the party infighting. michael steele is now calling for party unity. >> that is after the gop unveiled its political pledge to america. karen traverse is in washington this ate hi, care. >> reporter: the ideas may have sounded familiar but republicans are hoping that by formalizing their agenda, voters will pay
2:37 am
attention. with less than six weeks to go before election day, house republicans want voters to know exactly what they will do if they take back the majori congress >> our government is out of control in washington and we need to rein it in and begin a new drive for a smaller, less costly, and more accountable government nati >> reporter: house republican leaders uled n the pledge to america. a policy outline that includes proposals such as permanently extending all the bush tax cuts, including e on wealthiest americans. repealing the obama health car bill. blocking the president's plan to transfer guantanamo bay detainees to the united states. republicans need to pick up 39 seats to take back control of the house. if they do that and use this agenda as their governing map, the result could be tw ear democrats showed no indication of cooperating on this gop to-do list and the white house dismissed it as more of the same failed policies. >> if it sounds familiar, it's
2:38 am
because it's the same litany or catalog of failed policies that got us into this mess. >> reporter: standing in a suburban hardware store without jackets and ties the republican leaders said they are tuned in to the concerns of voters. >> there is nothing more inspiring than the common voice of the common man. >> reporter: republicans hope that message reaches the tea party activists who have shown so much strength at the grassroots level and just might be the key to a republican takeover. rob and vinita. georgia's senator saxby chambliss now admits a derogatory slur left on an internet discussion over gay rights apparently came from his office. the comment was posted on a blog discussing gay rights by a user identified as jimmy. the blog's readers were able to trace the comment back to an atlanta building where chambliss has an office. this story is sure to spark some debate. a mississippi teenager is banned from his high schools homecoming court becauseis patrick richardson has dread
2:39 am
locks and his principal says he has to cut his h ake in the halftime aci but there is no policy dread locks. but the principal wants a higher court. richardson says that is diminy. parts of minnesota and wisconsin have been decld disass after heavy downpours and flooding. up to a foot of rain fell in the past day in some areas. more than 100 people had to be equack waited. the national guard was sent to some parts of wisconsin to help coordinate the cleanup efforts. and there's more trouble in the tropics this morning. tropical storm matthew de 45-mile-an-hour winds. matthew is forecast to h a hurricane watch was just posted for belize next week and may threaten mexico's yu peninsula. now, your weather here at home. showers in the upper midwest, great lakes, ohio and tennessee valleys. thunderstorms across arkansas, mississippi, louisiana and scattered shoom o to m o rarrn
2:40 am
england. 9timo 88 in miami. indianapolis 86. minneapolis 59. omaha 72. 100 in phoenix. 89 in sacramento. 74 in portland. 88 in colorado springs. 68 in billings. i know you're going to be smiling to hear this next one. >> i love these stories. >> big easy is in the headlines again. >> good wee >> it's for a favorite food for kids of all ages and in the easy people all >> new orleans is claiming yet another record besides the pbo this time for the world's biggest pot of mac and cheese. they cooked up the mammoth meal in a giant cast iron kettle, looks good. when it was ready, 2,100 pounds of mac and cheese. a light snack. >> it had that crumbly topping, that's what really makes it. the record attempt was a fund-raiser for habitat for humanity. a taste of history was sold for five bucks a bowl. >> all that king cake this week, now mac and cheese. good eating down there.
2:41 am
>> i want to go to new orleans sometime soon. >> give me a ticket. >> we'll be right back. assistance getting around their homes. ere is a medicare benefit that may qualify you for a new power chair or scooter at little to no cost to you. stay tuned for this important medicare benefit information and free scooter guarantee. imagine... one scooter or power chair that could improve your may entitle you to pay little to nothing to own it. one company that can make it all happen ... your power chair will be paid in full. the scooter store. why should you call the scooter store today? because their mobility experts are also medicare experts. and that means the scooter store is your best shot at qualifying for a scooter that costs you little to nothing. hi i'm doug harrison. pay little to nothing out of pocket.
2:42 am
how do we do it? we know what it takes to get you your power chair it's our strength. it's our mission. and we back it up with the scooter store guarantee. if we qualify you and medicare denies your claim for a new powerchair or scooter, i'll give it to you absolutely free. i paid into medicare all my life, and when i neneed it the benefit was there for me. the scooter store made it so easy. i didn't pay a penny out of pocket for my power chair. the scooter store got me back out in the world again. talk to. there is a medicare benefit that may qualify you for a new power chair or scooter at little to no cost to you.
2:43 am
2:44 am
500 million facebook fanatics were left wondering what to do with themselves thursday when the social networking site froze. >> facebook was forced to shut down nearly three hours to fix a code error. it was facebook's worst outage in four years. >> as the website crashed, facebook's founder mark zuckerberg made a very generous grant to a new jersey public school system. >> the young billionaire mark zuckerberg is donating $100 million. here's john berman. >> reporter: city of newark, you've just been friended on facebook. the $100 million pledge from
2:45 am
facebook founder mark zuckerberg could have a huge impact on an education system where 46% of students fail to graduate high school. but who is mark zuckerberg? the 26-year-old kid with a grown-up checkbook and no direct ties to newark. he's a young man who created the social networking site with more than 500 million users. from his harvard dorm room. >> there's an enormous sense of pride. >> reporter: he's the young man who's 35 on "forbes" magazine list of richest americans. higher than apple ceo steve jobs. and he's also clearly a man who understands timing. and perhaps diversion. his announcement on "oprah" comes the same day as a release of the new feature film "social network" which depicts him as ruthless. >> your actions could permanently destroy everything i'm working on. >> we. >> reporter: was he foreshadowing the time of the announcement when he spoke to diane sawyer this summer? >> people don't care about what someone says about you in a movie. they care about what you build.
2:46 am
>> reporter: whatever the motivation, his gift is a milestone in philanthropy. rivaling donations from bill gates, 28 years his senior. >> now we have people who are barely old enough to shave giving their millions away. >> reporter: he's a young man in a hurry. >> what's your favorite nonwork day? >> nonwork day? what's that? >> reporter: busy working for good, working the system, or both. john berman, abc news, new york. >> actually was funny, when facebook went down yesterday people had some pretty funny tweets out there. one person wrote -- facebook users are roaming the streets in tears, shoving photos in people's faces and screaming, do you like this? do you? another one says, facebook is down, work productivity is up, u.s. climbs out of the recession. >> they're like "onion" headlines. >> either facebook is down or mark zuckerberg set everything to private. coming up, talking about the 1980s movie blockbuster.
2:47 am
>> the new "wall street" movie opens today, we'll see how life hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahx
2:48 am
welcome back, everybody. "wall street: money never sleeps" of course, hits theaters today. the sequel to oliver stone's big hit from 1987. >> manage michael douglas returns as gordon gekko. here's david wright with a look at what has changed and what has stayed the same since greed was good. >> reporter: the new "wall street" opens with gordon gekko getting out of jail. >> one watch. and one mobile phone. >> reporter: the well-dressed equivalent of an unfrozen cave man. in a world that's now greedier than he ever imagined. >> it's about the game. >> reporter: a lot has changed since the go-go '80s. the top of the charts the year "wall street" came out was george michael. the tv shows that ruled the roost, "bill cosby," "family ties," and "cheers."
2:49 am
in hollywood, the big screen was obsessed with the dark side of the force. a different world. but some say only by degrees. >> i know we're in a recession but seems like we're just as materialistic, we're just as obsessed with wall street. the '80s are the longest decade ever. other than like that short period in the early '90s where people wore flannel. >> reporter: back then it seemed like justice when gordon gekko got busted for insider trading. nowadays that's a martha stewart crime. and she seems to have bounced back just fine. ♪ fly me to the moon >> reporter: netflix the original "wall street" sometime and from the minutes the credits roll it's dated. that era of morning in america, like those twin towers, gone forever. >> the point is, ladies and gentlemen, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. >> reporter: gordon gekko's greed speech defined the ethos of the decade.
2:50 am
but does it hold up after the collapse of bear stearns? >> back then, someone said greed is good, it was shocking. now there's a whole tea party around that. >> hey, i'm kramer! >> reporter: this is mr. wall street today, jim cramer, host of "mad money." back in the '80s when "wall street" came out he was a young broker at goldman sachs. >> it was the most spot-on movie, we all saw it, 20s and 30s, we were like -- our jaws were dropping that they had nailed it so unbelievably. >> reporter: those tailor-made suits and the slicked-back hair, those cell phones the size of bricks, those stretch limos rolling through streets paved with gold. >> all right, mr. gekko. you got me. >> you saw, aside from the chicanery, a window of glamor. it seemed glamorous and exciting to be on wall street. guys talking fast, guys making quick money. you said to yourself, if i want to cook i've got to go there.
2:51 am
>> reporter: now gordon gekko seems like a petty thief, compared to a bernie madoff. >> wow, those guys were model t. they were model t. and we're corvettes now. look at the floor of the new york stock exchange in "wall street." it's the most exciting place on earth. now you look at the new york stock exchange, it's like going to a bowling alley. it's like, wow, where'd they all go? >> reporter: they went where everything else from the '80s went. online. like jennifer grey, "dirty dancing" then, "dancing with the stars" now. >> i miss the hair. i think we all miss '80s hair. >> reporter: greed hasn't gone out of style. it's just aged a bit. i'm david wright in los angeles. >> it seems to me like this movie is what "sex and the city" is to women. my husband is nonstop talking about this for a year almost now. he has to see it. >> i'm going to see the original again then go see part two, absolutely. >> we already did the original at our house because he had to see it one more time.
2:52 am
reviews are really good. rotten tomatoes is giving it 77%.
2:53 am
2:54 am
hd 3. you go next if you had a here would hoveround power chair? the statue of liberty? the grand canyon? it's all possible ith a hoveround., tom: hi i'm tom kruse, inventor rand founder of hoveround., when we say you're free to see the world, we mean it. call today and get a free overound information kit, that includes a video and full color brochure. dennis celorie: "it's by far the best chair i've ever owned." terri: "last year, 9 out of 10 people got their hoveround for "little or no money." jim plunkitt: "no cost. absolutely no cost to me." breaking news...when you call today, we'll include a free hoveround collapsible grabber with the purchase of your power chair. it reaches, it grabs, it's collapsible and it's portable. it goes wherever you go. get it free while supplies last. call the number on your screen to get your free video, brochure and your free hoveround collapsible grabber.
2:55 am
call the number on your screen. "world news now" delivers your "morning papers." >> a family that moved to cambridge, massachusetts, those folks have an interesting life. we talked yesterday about the lamp in the park that runs on dog poop. people walk their dogs and put it in there. >> that stained my memory, yes. >> very cool. something else interesting here. when you get a parking ticket in cambridge, at least parts of it, they actually put yoga poses on the front of the parking ticket to hopefully calm you down. when they get a ticket they want you to relax. now they're doing yoga poses on the parking tickets seeing if they actually work to calm people down. despite the fine that you just
2:56 am
got. >> i can show you the next "morning paper" and i guarantee it's not going to calm you down. >> oh, no. vinita, put it down right now. >> jeremy hubbard, our former anchor, saw this and said this has to make it into "papers." if you're wondering what jeremy is doing these days. this is a time lapse video of food rotting. you watch as it goes from four days to five days, all the way to eight days. >> maggots! >> it's not nice. it's not nice at all. you watch it as it also crawls other than to the other plate, which is about to be what happens. >> oh, man. >> this is done by a bbc science show. they wanted to show people what happens as food rots with mold and bacteria. yes, it is gross. >> want to have some breakfast? >> yeah, what they're having. ♪ ♪ ♪
2:57 am
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
2:58 am
2:59 am
3:00 am
death penalty. a woman's execution goes down in history. how activists fought until the end. then, adoption nightmare. >> he's just -- he's our child. and he has been since the moment i held him. >> the little boy caught up in a big legal battle. and, spicy snacks. snappy creations from our insomniac kitchen. it's friday, september 24th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> i'm jealous. friday, you're eating well yet again. >> the good thing about this recipe also is it allows you to clean out the vegetable drawer. 2:00 a.m., sometimes you don't
3:01 am
know what you have left, you can put anything into this one. >> i thought you were saying it cleans you out. i was going to say, okay, thanks for that tease. >> it's spicy enough. >> good morning, everybody, i'm rob nelson. >> i'm vinita nair. the first woman executed in the u.s. in five years was put to death in virginia. >> teresa lewis' case gained international attention not only because of her gender. also activists argued she lacked the intelligence to mastermind the crime. jim sciutto now reports from virginia's death row. >> reporter: teresa lewis has confessed to a cold and calculating crime. asking her lover and a friend to kill her husband and stepson, to collect a $250,000 life insurance policy. in a jail house interview with cnn, she pled for forgiveness. >> i wish i could take it back. and i'm sorry for all the people that i've hurt. >> reporter: but complicating the case, lewis did not pull the trigger. the men who did only got life in prison. and crucially, court-appointed doctors found she only has an iq
3:02 am
of 72. just 2 points above the legal minimum for execution in virginia. a duke university psychologist who examined her for the defense concluded, teresa's functional mental age is in the range of 12 to 14 years. rallying to her cause are novelist john grisham, justices sonia sotomayor and ruth bader ginsburg, who voted to stay her execution. and thousands on the web. for the victim's daughter, all the focus on lewis is just one more crime against her family. >> she could have walked away from my father and never looked back. and i think people need to remember her victims and not her. >> reporter: in an internet video by her supporters, lewis sings for a final miracle. ♪ >> reporter: with her appeals exhausted, her fight ended here in this death chamber. lewis was given a lethal injection and pronounced dead 13 minutes later. witnesses said she refused to take a sedative and her final words addressed to the daughter of the husband she murdered, saying she loves her very much
3:03 am
and she's sorry. jim sciutto, abc news, jarratt, virginia. four members of a family are dead after a shooting rampage in seattle. police will not release the identities of the victims until later today. but at this point it appears that a woman in her 50s shot her own daughter, her son-in-law, and their two teenaged daughters before then taking her own life. the daughter did survive and is now in stable condition. she told police, "my mom's gone crazy." president obama wraps up his united nations visit today discussing relations with southeast asian countries. >> the president made his case for mideast peace at the u.n. but another leader's controversial comments yesterday still dominate the headlines. t.j. winick has details from the u.n. good morning, t.j. >> reporter: good morning, rob and vinita. the morning session at the united nations really belonged to president obama who spoke about his hopes for mideast peace.
3:04 am
the afternoon session belonged to iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad, who also spoke about peace, but struck a much different tone. president obama called on world leaders to support the israeli/palestinian peace process just weeks after the administration relaunched direct talks between the two sides. >> if an agreement is not reached, palestinians will never know the pride and dignity that comes with their own safety. israelis will never know the certainty and security that comes with sovereign and stable neighbors. >> reporter: he also offered an olive branch to iran, currently under heavy sanctions because of its nuclear program which is soon expected to produce a bomb. >> the door remains open to diplomacy, should iran choose to walk through it. >> reporter: later, also before the general assembly, iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad continued to poke his finger in the eye of the western world. in fact, the u.s. delegation and others walked out in protest when he questioned the facts about the 9/11 attacks, referring to a cover-up. he said most people believe some
3:05 am
segments within the u.s. government orchestrated the attack to reverse the declining american economy and to save the zionist regime, israel. ahmadinejad also made a reference to the florida pastor who had planned a burn the koran day earlier this month. he held up a koran and a bible, saying he respects both. >> don't let the blustering confidence fool you. it's just an attempt by ahmadinejad to change the subject from him and his stewardship of iran to issues that he's much more confident talking about. >> reporter: it was a very busy day for president obama. he also attended a meeting of the clinton global initiative and held private talks with japanese and chinese leaders. rob and vinita? sad news from california this morning. singer eddie fisher has passed away. the 1950s pop singer was a big success but he will likely be remembered more for his wives and his children. fisher had pretty stormy marriages to actresses debbie reynolds, elizabeth taylor and connie stevens. actress carrie fisher, star
3:06 am
wars' princess leia, is one of his children. eddie fisher died of complications after hip surgery. he was 82 years old. lindsay lohan faces a judge later today after failing a court-ordered drug test. the troubled actress spent time in jail and rehab this summer after she violated conditions of probation on a dui arrest. this new infraction could land her back behind bars. tmz reports lohan will get out on bail today and face new jail time at a probation violation hearing next month. now to the emotional battle over a little boy in the midwest. courts in ohio and indiana must now decide if the boy should stay with the only parents he's ever known. here now is mike marusarz. >> reporter: this tiny toddler is the source of huge joy for a family in indiana. christie vaughn remembers when he was born. she was there in the delivery room in ohio to adopt him. >> i didn't know what it would feel like adopting a child. there's absolutely no difference. i mean, he's just -- he's our child.
3:07 am
and he has been since the moment i held him. >> reporter: days later, with the vaughns' adoption still not finalized, grayson's biological father petitioned for custody. he claims he didn't know of the birth or the adoption. now, after a long legal battle, ohio's supreme court has ordered the vaughns to return grayson to his biological father. >> we never received a phone call from this guy, we never received, you know, a birthday card. >> reporter: the biological father refused an offer to speak to abc news. in a written statement his lawyer said, my client, the biological father, was awarded legal custody by an ohio court after consideration of all evidence. grayson is already snuggled into his role as a sibling. the vaughns' oldest son senses life is about to change. >> he said, daddy, can we go to the judges while we're here, talk to him about keeping grayson? >> reporter: the vaughns promise to continue fighting to keep
3:08 am
grayson part of their family. mike marusarz, abc news, new york. states of emergency have been declared in minnesota and wisconsin because of record flooding. some areas in southern minnesota have been hit with ten inches of rain. a few more inches could fall overnight. more than 1,000 people had to be evacuated in western wisconsin ahead of the floods. wisconsin governors sent the national guard to help out. parts of central america are bracing for the 13th named storm of the season. tropical storm matthew is whipping up 45-mile-an-hour winds in the caribbean sea. it will bring heavy rain and flooding to nicaragua and honduras. now to the rest of the friday forecast. drying out in the flooded midwest. leftover showers across northern wisconsin and michigan. stretching into the ohio valley. showers and thunderstorms in little rock, new orleans, and much of texas. warming up out west. >> phoenix 100. sacramento 89. boise 81. upper 50s from fargo to the twin
3:09 am
cities. 73 in chicago. it will be warmer in the east. 84 here in new york. 93 in baltimore. 89 in atlanta. well, a south florida zoo is playing marsupial matchmaker. we could find out tonight if they have in fact made a love connection. >> two koalas at the palm beach zoo are set to begin their courtship tonight. abby, the zoo's newest female koala will get acquainted with a potential mate named oz at a special party. >> your husband's name. zookeepers say you cannot force love but it can be arranged. the couple will not have any physical contact until february. abby should be old enough for her first real date around valentine's day. she's a good girl. >> she is. hopefully this works out because koalas could soon be on the endangered list. people saying there's only 43,000 left. so they could be vulnerable and might need some protection. so get to work, oz and the team. we'll be right back.
3:10 am
3:11 am
3:12 am
3:13 am
now let's take a look at the buzz words heating up the yahoo! search engines for the weekend. some of you have been looking up
3:14 am
the word "frankenfish." >> others have been doing searches for "dancing with the stars." yahoo's trend expert pamela woon has more. good morning, pamela. >> good morning, rob and vinita. with the fda holding hearings this week on genetically engineered salmon, searches are off the charts. some are looking at the pros. it's a sustainable food source that grows at twice the rate of regular salmon. and the cons. is it safe to eat? and if the so-called frankenfish escape, will it have an impact on wild salmon? now, ironically, once they're big, they're even bigger than modified salmon, recipes for salmon. one reason for that, with football season in full swing, searches for tailgating recipes are spiking. allrecipes.com has smoked salmon as its top tailgating dish. we're also seeing searches for games this week.
3:15 am
people are looking up rules for tailgate toss, ladder toss, corn hole. one place to look for tips is tailgating.com, created by professional tailgater joe kahn, the self-proclaimed commish of tailgating. from football to films, they'll be good because searches for the sequel to oliver stone's "wall street" are bullish. big hits on the film's trailer, up 469% this week. and people are going online to read the reviews, which are pretty good across the board. and also lots of people getting info on gekko. star michael douglas, his past movies, and on his current health. he's battling throat cancer right now and fans want to know how he's doing. and on the tv side, yahoo!'s seeing a huge spike as expected for "dancing with the stars." lots of buzz on who's cutting the rug this year. bristol palin, "the situation," david hasselhoff. anything can happen, rob and vinita. searches on the cast are up 846%. and hey, jennifer grey is also on the show this season.
3:16 am
you know, from "dirty dancing." searches are up 1,500% on jennifer. you remember that movie, right? >> nobody puts vinita in the corner. of course, we remember that. facebook went down yesterday. some funny tweets came out of there. it was off for a little while yesterday. i think it was the biggest outage in four years. you can see on the screen here, facebook down due to explosion in farmville composting. something about 5 million people forced to go back to work. >> all the funny ones are on our facebook fan site. wnnfans.com, you can read the rest.
3:17 am
welcome back, guys. welcome back, guys. we are here in the kitchen today. one of the traditions here in
3:18 am
new york city when you think of pan-asian food. ten years running. which says so much here in new york, doesn't it. let's get started. talk us through what we're going to be doing. >> the first thing you want to do is make the sauce. it's very simple. four or five ingredients. nam prik pao. >> i have to stop you. what is that? >> thai chili paste, shrimp paste in it also. you can substitute a chili paste for it but there really is nothing like it. it's real simple. take a tablespoon of that. a little ketchup. then oyster sauce. and a little bit of sugar to balance it. >> oh, okay. >> and thai fish sauce. you got to be careful. it's really strong. we're going to use just a few drops. that's really all you do. mix it together. it's very simple. >> you've got a nice little paste there now. >> exactly. i like to use pork tenderloins. real easy to cook, tender. the most important thing with
3:19 am
that, you want to cut it across the grain. you can see the grains there. you want to go across the grains and just slice it. just some vegetables. this is what i use. it doesn't have to be these vegetables. i like a shiitake mushroom, red onion, garlic, scallions. these are thai long beans. these are thai chiles. if you don't look it too spicy take the seeds out. do you like it spicy? >> i do. i'm from texas so i'm used to putting in all the seeds and putting in a couple more also. >> you want the biggest ones. >> exactly. we're doing this on a wok. >> you don't need a wok. a wok is better. you can do it in a saute pan. the first thing you want to do is take the pork that we sliced and a little bit of flour. basically just going to prefry it. we use peanut oil, it has a great flavor. you want to get it cooked at this point. >> i like that nice sizzle as soon as you put it in there.
3:20 am
>> you want to prefry it three-quarters of the way so it's just about cooked through. just a few minutes. it's really thin. >> the cool thing about your kitchen, they actually have water running all below this so any grease that comes down is immediately wicked away which saves your husband or yourself from doing the cleaning. >> exactly. we'll put that aside. we're going to prefry an egg. what's better at 2:00 in the morning than fried eggs? let that cook a little bit more. >> okay. >> the garlic and the chilies. we dump those right in. >> i'm nervous i'm going to lose a hand right here. >> go ahead. and the secret here is you don't want to burn them but you want to get some color. you almost want to smell the fragrance of it. we're going to add the onions in. turn the heat up a little bit. and basically just throw everything else in at this point. except for the basil. throw the mushrooms in there.
3:21 am
we're going to let this cook a little bit. >> okay. >> throw the pork back in at this point. and a bit of our sauce. about two tablespoons. >> okay. >> just want to coat it. >> you can really smell the garlic and the sweetness from that sauce. >> it's a lot of flavor. >> yeah. >> it will wake you up at 2:00 a.m. a little bit of lime juice. >> okay. >> balance it out. right at the end is the thai basil. sprinkle that right in. you want to let that basil cook a little bit. really takes the flavor out. >> now comes the best part. >> break it right now. >> that looks amazing. you can see all that yellow running into it. let's give it a test drive. mm! the sauce is excellent. that has a really nice sweetness about it. if folks want to know any ingredients, we have it posted on our facebook page. in the meantime we're going to go to break while we continue to devour this wonderful dish.
3:22 am
the name of it is? >> thai basil pork. icare! i'm a diabetic and i want you to know over 230,000 u.s. their diabetic supplies through liberty medical. and that begins with the one touch ultra 2 meter. easy to use, fast results... at no additional cost! liberty helps keep you on track by delivering diabetic supplies to your door...and filing your claims. i never feel i'm going to run out of anything. with liberty i always have someone to talk to and now they refill all my prescriptions. call now to receive a diabetic cookbook free. call to receive the one touch®ulra meter at no additional cost and find out why 230,000 u.s. doctors and over a million people with diabetes trust liberty medical. liberty, we deliver better health. call now. call liberty medical at the number on your screen.
3:23 am
n honking. a short time ago, this woman suffered from around his house. these people chose freedom over restrictions. independence over limitations. they chose mobility. they chosehe scooter store. and this is the team of mobility experts who made it all happen. ii great news, you've been approved for payment. dr. cruz, i'm calling on behalf ofmarie stanford. and they can make it happen for you. hi, i'm doug harrison, if you're living with limited mobility, call the scooter store today. i promise, no other company will work harder to make you mobile or do more to ensure your total satisfaction. i expected they'd help me file some paperwork with medicare and my insurance. i never expected them to be so nice or work so hard to get me a power chair at no cost to me.
3:24 am
if we qualify you and medicare denies your claim for a w scooter or power chair, i'll give it to you absolutely free. that's the scooter store guarantee. we'll wo with your insurance company, even help with financing. if there's a way, we'll find it. when they delivered mom's power chair, i expected they'd show her how to use it once or twice. that man stayed for hours! whatever it takes, as long as it takes. that's our guarantee. why do we go to < uch great lengths? because making you mobile is our mission. we'llwork wit your doctor. we'll work with medicare and lçur private insurance. we'll even service your scooter anywhere in the country. call the sco÷"er store today.
3:25 am
finally this half hour, the finally this half hour, the world's largest wind farm has opened off england's southeast coast. >> it is churning up enough electricity for 200,000 homes. but not everyone is blown away by the 100 turbines. the bbc's richard westscott reports from kent, england. >> reporter: it's been called one of the world's most audacious green energy projects. and a costly eyesore that's putting all our bills up. shimmering off the kent coast, this is the biggest offshore wind farm in the world.
3:26 am
more than anywhere else, the uk government is betting that this is the energy of the future. in the next decade, it wants around 20% of our electricity to come from the wind. it's going to be about 2.5% at the moment. a big gamble, according to critics. >> what i am a bit worried about is the government, the previous government's, infatuation with offshore wind power which is very expensive and intermittent. other renewables which have been starved of support and they should be going down that route. >> wind power is a proven technology today. it has been used for several years in all countries around europe. and it's definitely one of the next reliable format on renewable production of energy. >> reporter: the technology does have its problems. it sounds obvious, but no wind, no power. there's no way of storing it
3:27 am
either. it's heavily subsidized which means everyone's bills go up. still, most of the people i spoke to seem to like it. >> i think it's definitely good that there is a wind farm and that the government is making efforts to provide renewable energy. >> i think it is the way forward. and on a beautiful day like this, looking out to sea, it's actually a beautiful sight. >> reporter: britain has more offshore wind farms than anywhere else in the world. but this is just the start. it's the biggest so far but it's tiny compared to what's coming. richard westbrook, bbc news off the kent coast. >> certainly fascinating to see but critics are pointing out these turbines are only producing energy when the wind is blowing. that the ultimate problem with all of this is they don't have a cost-effective fuel cell. they can't figure out a way to store the power when the wind is not blowing to use that power. >> it's not blowing, it's not working basically is the bottom line. similar property under way in cape cod. still in the planning stages but
3:28 am
they say if it gets up and running, 4202020202020202020202s
3:29 am
3:30 am
midwest mess. heavy flooding in two states. the evacuations and state of emergency. then, police chief's grief. the murder case involving a top cop's daughter. >> she's so loving. >> insight into the investigation. and -- wheeled wonder. the car of the future shown off today. it's friday, september 24th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> i love seeing these pieces. it's always kind of a hint of what could be. the cars we're showing you this morning are more efficient than hybrids or electric cars when it comes to mileage. >> no kidding, really, better than both. >> they don't just look cool,
3:31 am
they perform cool as well. >> be sure to stay tuned for that. story should be good. >> good morning and thanks for being with us on this friday. i'm vinita nair. >> i'm rob nelson. thousands in the upper midwest are spinning the night away from home because of rising floodwaters. >> up to a foot of rain has fallen in some areas. more could fall by day break. the hardest hit are owatonna, minnesota, and arcadia, wisconsin. alex stone reports. >> reporter: a powerful storm soaked the upper midwest on thursday, swelling rivers and creeks. >> water basin and flooding is continuing to rise so it's causing a lot of problems for us. >> reporter: the heavy rains forced mandatory evacuations in arcadia, wisconsin. police officers went door to door in the rain to urge over half of the town's residents, about 1,500, to get out of harm's way. >> i feel sorry for the people of arcadia. the people losing things. basements are going to be flooded and things like that.
3:32 am
just, you know -- it's terrible. >> reporter: raging rivers are threatening towns all over. wisconsin and minnesota. flooding streets and basements like jeff's in owatonna. >> two and a half, three feet of water right now. we're getting ready to pump it out. >> reporter: wisconsin's governor declared a state of emergency and is ordering the national guard to help stricken homeowners. >> mother nature was not a very good thing today. >> reporter: more rain is expected, making the flooding worse. alex stone, abc news. meanwhile, tropical storm matthew is threatening central america. the storm is packing winds up to 45 miles an hour. it's expected to dump some heavy rain across honduras and nicaragua tomorrow. forecasters say it should weaken, though, as it heads toward mexico's yucatan peninsula. now here's a look at your friday forecast. more showers in the flooded upper midwest and cleveland, louisville, nashville and memphis. showers and thunderstorms from el paso to little rock.
3:33 am
light rain in south florida and northern >> warmer than usual on the east coast. 79 in boston. 93 in baltimore. around 90 from dallas to atlanta. 70s in kansas city, omaha, and chicago. 68 in billings. 77 in salt lake city. 82 in albuquerque. a sad passing to tell you about this morning. singer eddie fisher has died in californa. he was the su in the early '50 stormy marriages to actresses deb taylor and connie stevens often overshadowed his career. carrie fisher, who played princess leia in the "star wars" saga is one of his children. he died of complications after hip surgery. he was 82 years old. the first woman to be executed in the u.s. in five years was put to death last night in virginia. teresa lewis had been convicted for arranging the murders of her husband and stepson to get the insurance money. activists argued lewis was not intelligent enough to carry out such a plot. in her last words lewis
3:34 am
apologized for the crime. president obama has private meetings with world leaders in new york today as his u.n. visit wraps up. >> the president focused on the mideast during a major address yesterday but before another leader made remarks that were controversial, some people left the room. t.j. winick has more from the u.n. good morning, t.j. >> reporter: good morning, rob and vinita. the morning session here at the united nations really belongs to president obama, oke f1 ohifor e tsionge to iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad, who also spoke about peace but struck a much f. president obama called on world leaders to support the israeli/palestinian pea just weeks after the administration relaunched direct talks between the two sides. >> if an agreement is not reached, palestinians will never know the pride and dignity that comes with their own state. israelis will never know the certainty and security that comes with sovereign and stable neighbors. >> reporter: he also offered an
3:35 am
olive branch to iran, currently under heavy sanctions, because of its nuclear program which is soon expected to produce a bomb. >> the door remains open to diplomacy should iran choose to walk through it. >> reporter: later, before the general assian president mahmoud ahmadinejad continued to poke his finger in the eye of the western in fact, thelego others walked out in protest when he questioned the facts about the 9/11 attacks, referring to a cover-up. he said most people believe that some segments within the u.s. government orchestrated the attack to reverse the declining american economy and save the zionist regime, israel. ahmadinejad also made a reference to the florida pastor who had planned to burn a koran earlier this month. he held up a koran and a bible, saying he respects both. president obama had a very busy day here. he also attended a meeting of the clinton global initiative and held private talks with japanese and chinese rob and vinita. 29 afghan women begin new jobs today as the country's first female army officers.
3:36 am
they graduated from an officer training program run by nato and the afghan defenseinisy the women will not serve on the front lines. they'll work in finance and logistics. the program is now recruiting a second class of officer candidates. the government has not seve diabetes drug avan the drug is anne eur because it's linked to fatal heart attacks as lisa stark the diabetes drug avandia has been long and hard-fought. leading the charge, dr. steve nissen, cardiologist at cleveland clinic. >> people have been asking me, don't you feel vindicated? this is not about personal vindication, it's about doing the right thing for patients. >> reporter: it was dr. nissen who first raised the alarm about avandia in 2007. he found the drug increased the risk of heart attack by 43%. the fda had approved the drug eight years earlier. so what was the agency's response? >> i became, you know, their enemy for challenging a drug's safety. >> reporter: the battle lines were drawn.
3:37 am
drugmaker glaxosmithkline and some at the fda insisting avandia was safe. dr. nissen insisting it wasn't. >> it means a lot of people are going to be put at risk here. >> reporter: ultimately one fda researcher determined the drug may have caused as many as 100,000 heart attacks, strokes and deaths. nissen says the war is not won. >> i will sleep better tonight, but i will not sleep until i know we've improved the way we handle these kinds of problems in the united states. we've got to fix the fda. >> reporter: fixing the fda, says nissen, means a wholesale change. no longer should the same people at the agency who approve a drug be the ones to decide if it gets pulled off the market. it's a conflict of interest. >> we must fix those flaws or we will have further problems like avandia. >> reporter: which nissen calls one of the worst drug safety tragedies in our lifetime. lisa stark, abc news, washington. well, it is right next to the soda machine but it is dispensing something a whole lot more valuable.
3:38 am
>> a gold vending machine has been unveiled at a hotel in spain. it spits out solid gold bars as easily as a bag of chips. it's called gold on the go and it works like an atm, giving you a pick of one, five, and ten-gram bars or decorative gold coins. you may have heard about the similar machine set up in abu dhabi. there is a goal to have machines worldwide. with gold at record-setting prices as of thursday night, maybe it's time for us all to get one of these machines. >> new gold rush, i'm on with that. >> we'll be right back with more "world news now." let me tell you about a very important phone call i made.
3:39 am
when i got my medicare card, i realized i needed an aarp... medicare supplement nsurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it only pays up to " 80% of your part b expenses.
3:40 am
if you're already on or eligible for medicare, call now to find out how an aarp... insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company, not paid by medicare part b. that can save you from paying .up to thousands of dollars... out of your own pocket. these are the only medicare supplement insurance plans... exclusively endorsed by aarp. when you call now, you'll get this free information kit... with all you need to enroll. put their trust in aarp p medicare supplement insuranc. plus you'll get this free guide to understanding medicare. the prices are competitive. i can keep my own doctor. and i don't need a referral o see a specialist. call now to get a free information kit. plus you'll get this free guide to understanding medicare. and the advantages don't end there. choose from a range of medicare r supplement plans... that are all competitively priced. we have a plan for almost everyone, so you can find one that fits r your needs and budget.
3:41 am
with all medicare supplement plans, there are virtually p no claim forms to fill out. plus you can keep that accepts medicare. p your own doctor and hospital and best of all, these plans are... when they told me these plans were endorsed by aarp... i had only one thing to say... sign me up. and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan. you'll get this free information kit... as with all medicare supplement plans, you can keep your own doctor and hospital that accepts # medicare, call this toll-free number now. earlier this week, the country was moved by the plea of a small-town police chief looking for justice in the
3:42 am
murder of his daughter, valerie hamilton. >> a suspect was arrested in western new york in the case but in the days since her murder there are still many questions. yunji de nies reports. >> this is not a murder. there's no murder at all. she overdosed in her sleep. >> she didn't sound like she was on anything. she didn't sound like she was drunk. >> he woke up and she was dead. >> what do you think happened that night? >> you know, i don't know. we may never know. we may never know what happened. >> reporter: what concord police chief merl hamilton does know, his daughter valerie was found dead in this storage locker after a late night with michael neil harvey, a registered sex offender with a lengthy criminal record, including rape, breaking and entering, and drug possession. >> do you think that he killed your daughter? >> i don't know. i don't know enough about it to say that. i think if he wasn't with my daughter that night, she would be alive.
3:43 am
>> reporter: but now hamilton finds himself having to answer questions about the lifestyle his daughter led. >> it's very, very unfortunate to me that people will see one segment of a case and then almost immediately start laying some semblance of blame on the victim. >> reporter: valerie hamilton went missing a week ago wednesday. she was seen leaving a local bar with michael harvey. when she didn't show up to her job as a swim instructor, friends and co-workers began to worry. valerie did make at least one phone call after leaving the bar at around 3:00 a.m. to her friend ashley barton. >> she's like, what are you doing? i'm like, i'm laying in bed sleeping. she's like, oh, well, can you come out to the hot tub with me and my friend? >> reporter: late saturday night -- >> i'm very sad to report to you tonight we have recovered the body of ms. valerie hamilton. >> reporter: police gave few details, saying only her body
3:44 am
was wrapped in material and the cause of death was not immediately obvious. the next morning the police chief thrust his daughter's case into the national spotlight with a plea. >> i want to ask my law enforcement brothers and sisters across the country to help me with this. they took my daughter. >> reporter: just hours later, fbi and u.s. marshals arrested harvey. allegedly high on heroin. hundreds of miles away in his hometown of niagara falls. >> we fortunately got a tip and that tip was successful. >> reporter: the next day, as family and friends gathered for her funeral, the suspect spoke out. >> this is not a murder. there's no murder at all. >> reporter: police released preliminary evidence that may back harvey's claim. investigators say hamilton willingly left that bar with him. they found no signs of physical trauma on her body. they did find evidence of drug usage. witnesses told them valerie appeared to need immediate medical attention. but that harvey did not help her
3:45 am
get it. they believe he made great efforts to clean up any potential crime scenes before he disposed of her body. the medical examiner is still processing valerie's toxicology report and sexual examination kit. it's not clear what she may have taken, but police say drugs were involved. >> do you feel that as a father now you're having to defend your daughter in her death? >> i know who my daughter was. and her friends knew who she was. my wife knows who she was. my daughter knows who she was. more particularly, my god knows who she was. and i'm not -- i'm not going to defend her. there's nothing to defend. >> reporter: michael harvey's extradition to charlotte has been delayed because he's said to be going through drug withdrawal. it is not clear what charges he will ultimately face. in a few days, the chief will be back on the beat with a renewed sense of purpose. remembering the daughter he called val, now gone forever. >> she was so loving and so
3:46 am
open. she embraced everybody. ultimately, that, you know, might have led to where she is now. >> reporter: i'm yunji de nies in charlotte. >> and the friend who received that call at 3:00 a.m. saying come join me in the hot tub, she said she didn't know if it's a real invitation or the call you make to say, i'm with this guy, get me out of here, get me away from this. i feel bad for her, too. it's a bizarre story. >> i'm sure she's plagued by a lot of self-doubt. yunji points out they're waiting toxicology results as well as results from the sexual assault examination kit. a lot of questions for her family to be sure. when we come back, "the skinny" including a new legal situation for a big reality tv star.
3:47 am
3:48 am
jennifer lopez has been open about saying when she as judge on "american idol," she's going to be tough. she's not going to be like paula who's nice to everyone.
3:49 am
she is going to be the tough one. her ex-husband might really be the proof. awhile back we reported her ex-husband of one year ojani noa wanted to be a contestant on the show. not only that he wanted to sing one of her songs. >> awkward. >> according to radaronline jennifer got fox to make sure the screeners on the auditions would not let him anywhere near the auditions. the source said fox made it clear that he was not welcome, he could be arrested if he showed up. he apparently backed out at the last minute. they say it's a shame because he wanted to showcase his voice and show people that he can really sing too. the interesting back story to all of this to me is that there's an age limit. you have to be between 15 and 28 and this guy is 36 now. there's a lot of talk, also her diva demands. so the question is, is any of this true? the show is going to great lengths saying, she's not really a diva. all these rumors about her wanting only yellow m&ms is not really the case.
3:50 am
she seerch says the only thing that made her feel bad. she says, i just felt bad for dragging fox's name through the mud in terms of me being this diva. they say the contract negotiations were very easy and there were no problems. you never know whose side -- >> you never know. >> they just tell you everything and then you decide. >> exactly. they got publicity from it so i'm sure no one's complaining. we'll see how j. lo does in the judge's chair. this story cracks me up. i know this guy's in "the skinny" a lot here. "the situation" from "jersey shore." get this story now. apparently, i didn't know this, he has an app on itunes that you can buy for five bucks a piece. it's called grenade dodger. when they say grenade, it's a reference to a girl they don't find too attractive. so anyway, there's a video game as part of this application where he's called grenade dodger. grenades fall from the sky, unattractive women, and he has to dodge them. apparently, they actually went out to a club and took pictures
3:51 am
of him with these women. they ended up being grenades on the application. one of the girls who was a 3 or 4 of his scale of 10 sees this application, sees her picture show up, now is considering whether to take local action. now she's like being essentially labeled an ugly girl on "the situation's" iphone app. >> wow. >> they ended up -- pictures being taken but they didn't know it was going to be used that way. >> it would be interesting though if they consented to the photos. they consented to having a photo taken. obviously they didn't know the purpose. >> i don't know how it plays out in court. that's tough. >> he's making money hand over fist these days. >> jersey, baby. >> here's a st eve gotten a lot of attenti the who father. a man has stepped forward, less lester brice. and this happened a while ago, basically said i'm the father. his story is that he met lebron's mother in a bar in 1984. she w5 or months later he got a phone call
3:52 am
that basically said, i'm pregnant and i'm going to name the baby lebron. he never heard from this woman, never paid a cent of child support. now he is saying he not only wants another dna test, he wants gift money. it should be interesting to see how this play out. >> i'm shocked that money would be involved. hó
3:53 am
3:54 am
3:55 am
here are some stories to watch today on abc news. president obama's diplomacy meetings at the u.n. continue today as he discusses a referendum in sudan and relations with leaders from southeast asia. there is late word three astronauts at the international space station will have to wait longer to return to earth. their russian space capsule ran into problems undocking from the station. actress lindsay lohan faces a los angeles judge today. she is expected to find out if she will go back to jail for failing a drug test while on probation. and finally this half hour, the car of tomorrow, today. that's after a competition to develop super-efficient cars. >> the winner is a car that runs on very little gasoline. as john hendren reports, the mileage is so high it is more
3:56 am
efficient than hybrids or electric cars. >> reporter: meet the very light car. it's made in virginia, runs anywhere, and tops 100 miles a gallon. >> with a total efficiency of 102.5 mpg. >> reporter: the futuristic four-seater won progressive insurance company's automotive x-prize, a year-long race to design an ultra-efficient car that's safe, affordable and desirable. >> you don't have to choose between beautiful, fast, affordable, safe, and 100 miles per gallon or greater. you can get them all. >> reporter: this car is not alone. hybrids and electric cars like the chevy volt are pushing the boundaries of fuel efficiency. uncle sam already insists cars average 35 miles a gallon by 2015. environmental groups, citing this car, are already urged the obama administration to make that 60 miles a gallon by 2025. >> it's time we feel the market actually wants these vehicles,
3:57 am
with the government mandating it, the car companies are going to be producing it. >> reporter: seeking electric cars for the future edison 2. in the end the light car beat out hybrids with gasoline. >> it is the car of the future, there's no doubt in my mind. >> reporter: the designers all experienced race crews crafted an ultra light car styledpy the air itself. >> it cut through the air in the most astonishing way. there's no wind noise because we're not making the air angry. angry air is drag. happy air is good fuel economy. >> reporter: but is it safe? maybe safer than yours. the engineers at edison took their lessons from indy 500 car. this car is built to crash. >> the structure that holds the wheel is crushable structure for crash resistance. >> you just might see a car like this in a driveway near you before long. the company says it's already talking to five potential manufacturers. the company's goal? find a carmaker who can turn out 1 million of these for relatively cheap $20,000 each. john hendren, abc news, washington.
3:58 am
>> hard to imagine highways packed with cars looking l
3:59 am

375 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on